Birds nest wherever they please, whether it’s in your trees or in your home’s gutters. No matter how you feel about birds, they don’t belong in your gutter and may cause serious issues if they do nest in gutters!
You’ll want to remove the bird nest as soon as it’s possible, and take any measures you can to prevent future nests from popping up.
What Happens When Animals Nest in Gutters?
Nests may seem harmless to you, but they do cause a lot of necessary issues in your gutters. Birds, squirrels, and some small rodents usually enjoy gutters because of the relative safety and the enclosed space for them to make a sturdy nest. However, these same nests can cause horrible clogs in your gutters that will eventually cause leaks and even breaks if they stick around too long. It’s best to remove the nests as soon as you can, to minimize the damage done.
How to Clean Gutters with Nests
Here are the steps to cleaning out a nest in gutters once you know about it:
1. Check if the Nest is Active
With squirrels and rodents, this step is not really necessary, as they can stay in their nests for a longer period of time and they are not as dependent on the space. 
However, birds are different in that regard. Eggs and baby birds cannot be moved to a new nest and cannot survive on their own if their parents move on.
Watch the nest for signs of birds coming back and forth, or take a peek inside and see if there are eggs or baby birds inside. If it’s an active bird nest, leave it alone until it’s inactive.
2. Wear Protective Gear
Birds can carry a lot of nasty parasites that can transfer to you upon touching the nest. It’s a good idea to wear long sleeves and working gloves for this job.
3. Remove the Nest to a Safe Location
Carefully pick up the whole nest and remove it to a location away from your home. You can throw it directly into the trash outside, since it won’t be necessary for the birds anymore.
4. Clean Up the Area Immediately
Instead of waiting, take your hose out and
clean out your gutters, paying especial attention to the area around the nest. This will not only wash away the parasites and germs left by the birds, but will also remove dirt and debris that collected around the nest area.
5. Take Preventative Measures Against Future Nests
Gutter cleaning is a good way to check for nests and clean them out when possible, but if you get consistent problems of bird nest in gutters, you’ll need to think about doing something else to keep them away. Some home owners install gutter guards, while others place objects around the roof to scare birds away, such as predator statues or spinning pinwheels.
Conclusion
Birds are great critters, but their nests are not good for your gutters at all! Don’t let the nest in gutters sit there for too long. Get it out as soon as it’s inactive, so that you can avoid the trouble that can follow.
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